Comparing Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 And George Orwell

Totalitarian regimes, desolate environments, genetic modification, dehumanization of individuals, suffocating societal planning, infringement on personal rights, and the demonization of any and all who oppose authority—these nightmarish things have one thing in common: all are aspects of dystopian works. The dystopian societies presented in fiction writing and the resulting popularity during different time periods, such as the height of the Cold War, postcolonial Africa, and the last decade in America, are products of political satire and parody reflecting on current societal and political issues and extrapolating them to their extreme conclusions. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “dystopia” as “an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible” (“Oxford English Dictionary”). Certainly, nearly everybody has read at least a handful of dystopian works in their lifetime. My own high school English curriculum included Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Orwell's 1984, and I chose to read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World as one of my supplementary readings. In my opinion, the dystopian

It has been said by Derek Maus that “one of the most striking aspects of literature written during the Cold War is the prevalence of dystopian and/or anti-utopian works” (Maus, 2005). Certainly, this time period was one of political and cultural tension and the resulting change and adaptation spurred a large-scale societal shift in regards to the attitudes held by many. Maus argues that the dystopian novels written during this era were a direct response to the conflict (Maus, 2005). Weapons on both sides grew stronger and more lethal due to the nuclear arms race; humanity gained methods and scientific knowledge that could have ended the world if either side decided to press their respective button. This great strain clearly affected our collective